The college football contest between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Army Black Knights on October 18, 1924, at the Polo Grounds in New York City was a major sporting event that transcended the game itself, giving birth to arguably the most famous nickname in sports history. The Buildup and Action Coached by the

Lombardi’s “Finest Player” and the Birth of a Legend: The Historic Football of October 18th October 18th is a colossal date for football royalty, celebrating the birthdays of multiple Hall of Famers across eras! We honor the birth of Forrest Gregg (born 1933), the legendary offensive tackle who Vince Lombardi called the “finest player I

October 18, 1924 – Urbana, Illinois – Harold “Red” Grange, also known as the “Galloping Ghost,” may have played his best collegiate football game on this day. According to a New York Times archive article from the Associated Press, the Grange, in front of 67,000 fans packed into the new Illinois Memorial Stadium, witnessed the

On October 18, 1933, Forrest Gregg, the famous offensive lineman from Southern Methodist University, was born. Gregg was the 1956 NFL Draft’s second pick by the Green Bay Packers. The Pro Football Hall of Fame states that he was considered too small to be a guard by most, as he weighed only 249 pounds and

October 18, 1939 – Carnegie, Pennsylvania – Michael Keller Dyczko was born. A story on Chicagobears.com in December of 2007 relays that the Ukrainian surname “Dyczko” was difficult to pronounce in his hometown, so the family name was changed to “Ditka”.  Mike Ditka was a 3 sports star at local Aliquippa High School. The University

October 18, 1914 – Joe Routt arrived in the world. Joe was a two-way guard from Texas A&M.  Joe was an exceptionally talented player on some inferior college teams with the Aggies in the 1930s. To counter his excellent play, opposing teams would negate his effectiveness by triple-teaming Routt; he was that good, according to